With the Heart of a Shinobi
by XArt is a BangX
Summary: There were days when the law of a shinobi were forgotten. With the Heart of a Shinobi, a heart of cold, dark, and dangerous things, people were fighting. They were still fighting for their salvation, the one who would save them from the dark. -OC Fic-
1. Those Days

With the heart of a Shinobi

**Chapter One**: _Those days_

Character Summary: Aileena Marusaki

Torin Harukoshi

Ryu

Norio Masanori

All © To Me

Summary:

There were days when the law of a shinobi were forgotten. With the Heart of a Shinobi, a heart of cold, dark, and dangerous things, people were fighting. They were still fighting for their salvation, the one who would save them from the dark. OC Fic

Fanfiction Note: This fanfiction is written for the enjoyment of everyone who wishes to read it, and for the benefit of myself and my best friend, so we can track our character's development and story. However, what WON'T be tolerated is flames, or comments of such nature. If you wish to vent on how much you dislike OC's then you must do so elsewhere, NOT here. Trust us, we hate Mary Sues as much as the next person, so we strive to make our characters unique and one of a kind. And you may already realize, that there are going to be a LOT of OC's in this story, and if you dislike that, then I apologize but I don't really care, it wasn't written for you at that point. Critiques however, are acceptable to some degree, we also keep in mind that these are OUR characters and we don't really plan on changing them drastically to match what one individual thinks would be better. However, what I do love is comments about perhaps your favorite scenes, characters, or couples. And even more funny would be your opinions on who would be better together then what we had originally designed.

Kate and I love amusement

If for some off the wall reason you do enjoy this fanfiction, purely written by myself (Ideas on Katelynn's characters are © to her though) then you are more then welcome to draw art dedicated to it, if you perhaps need information on the look of one of the characters you can ask me for the ones © to me, or you can ask Kate. (Shizuka-kurogane.deviantart) I will be posting this on two websites, my deviantart (Aileena-marusaki) and my Fanfiction (XArt is a BangX)

Kate will also be drawing some art corresponding to some scenes in this fic, so keep watch on her if you're interested

Also, we are Japanglish plenty. So if you dislike highly, too bad. So sad.

A/N: This Chapter isn't taken in the same 'time frame' as the other ones. Yet it technically doesn't count as an introduction chapter to Aileena either. You'll understand why it's here better later. But for now, Enjoy.

* * *

There were days when the law of a shinobi were forgotten. When they threw everything away.

There were days when the law of a shinobi were ignored. Those were the days they spent together.

Every day, in the embrace of each other.

These were the days of two shinobi of the village hidden in the clouds.

The days of two shinobi of war.

Who were these mentioned nin, Who live a life of danger each day they spent together?

Aileena Marusaki, and Torin Harukoshi were their names.

Destiny and law don't take kindly to those who try to defy it. And these two were no exception.

* * *

"Ai-chan! Ai-chan!" The pouting male rocked back and forth on his heels, "My love Ai-chan!"

The loud male ran his hand through his blonde-streaked black locks, huffing in frustration.

"Norio-sensei. Where is she?"

A taller, lean, fit male leaned against a tree, a bottle of sake held lazily in between his pointer and middle finger. "How should I know?" He huffed in annoyance. "You're her own personal stalker, _you_ should know where she is."

"Aww... If I stalked her, I'd know where she is. Wouldn't I?"

"Shut up brat, 100 Push ups."

Epic Fail!

Who were these two men talking? Well, in fact, it was none other then Norio Masanori, Sensei to our particular squad of interest; and Torin Harukoshi, our aforementioned protagonist... well.. Somewhat protagonist.

Now don't get me wrong, they weren't the only ones sitting in the clearing, there was one other more silent male standing with them. His name? Ryu. Just plain old Ryu. You see, he never really ever told anyone his last name, and when they would ask, he would simply reply with, "Just Ryu." Casual, yet simple, and simple was exactly what Ryu liked... for the fact that he liked nothing at all.

It's important to mention more about the three Chuunin shinobi of Norio's team, so I'll take the liberty to tell you about them individually.

Let's start with the loudmouth Torin, shall we? Now, no one is really sure if he's naturally blonde or naturally black haired. You see... he has black locks of hair, AND blonde. However, Ryu, and Nearly everyone else who knows him agrees that it is blonde.

Torin is, probably the cockiest of the three, however with his weapon, Mitsukai - a massive boomerang much bigger then himself - he is able to back up his claims as one of the strongest Chuunin of Kumo.

Let's see, is there anything else to say about this hothead ninja? Oh, yes, of course, does it count that he's madly in love with a girl named Aileena Marusaki, the female of his squad? Sound familiar? Yes, it's the girl that our lovely group is waiting for. IN fact, they're both young lovebirds, cute, no?

Torin Harukoshi is a sweet, caring person. But... none the less, a shinobi. A shinobi willing to put everything on the lone for his one precious person, and his friends.

Now, his precious person will prove to be one of the most important characters in our story. So I'll go one to explain her next. Aileena Marusaki is a hot-headed, easily angered, PMSing Teenage girl. It's safe to say however, that she is also the caring one of the group. A heart of gold... and fire, so to say. She's the kind of person that when she smiles, the light of that smile brings up the mood of the whole room.

In your automatic assumption, those of you that guessed Torin's love for her is unmet, you were absolutely wrong. In fact, they are perfect for one another. Completely in love, and one of the more skilled Chuunin kunoichi of Kumo, Aileena had everything. Except of course, a mother. Her mother had died, a long time ago, on the day Aileena graduated from the academy.

This left her alone. But what about her father? If it was possible, she would've assumed that he never existed in the first place. But it's possible for him to assume, that she doesn't exist at all. You see, her mother and father were very in love at a young age, and her father was nearly just as dedicated to his village. It was that day he left, on a long trip to Iwa that Ai's mom found out about being pregnant. She couldn't bring herself to tell him, no matter how much she wanted to.

'I'll tell him when he gets back.' She kept telling herself. 'I'll tell him.. And he'll quit this dream of becoming the leader of our village...we can live together... like a family...' But... he never returned... and she carried on in the pregnancy.. Alone. Aileena's mother was the smile that brightened the day of every person around her, no matter how depressed that person had been. Aileena's mother had even gotten smiles out of Ryu, ones of pure content bliss.

But Ai could tell her mother was never truly happy, her father had left them alone, and her mother was too heartbroken to function.

She died... on Aileena's brightest day... that had instantly become her darkest..

Of course, it bothered her... not knowing her father that well, but she lived fine on her own, alone. It was, after all, how her mother had lived, survived. Why couldn't she?

Our third, and final member of the chuunin Trio was none other then Ryu. Tall, dark, strong, and handsome, he was obviously the more gifted of the tree, or so he believes. However, on constant occasions, he finds himself on equal grounds with Torin.

He's the quieter male of the two, but it's hard to be any louder then Torin. It's safer to say, that Ryu is the exact opposite of Torin. However, they still find themselves close enough to consider themselves unofficial brothers.

Ryu is hard to explain, in the sense that there's not much about himself that he tells anybody. The only things that one could possibly know, is a few trivia facts by observation.

Ryu enjoys eating sweets, cats, reading, sparring, beating up Torin, and yelling at Norio-sensei. But of course, that leaves the question of his social connection with Ai. Well.. You see... that's the thing. He doesn't socialize with her at all, in fact, he has nothing to do with her.

No one is really sure why he leaves her alone, but sometimes.. Ai wonders if he even likes her at all.

* * *

"Ryu..." Norio Spoke, in a practiced non-slurred tone. "You go get Ai."

It was the surprise that laced acorss the two younger male's faces that egged him on to explain.

"I think that this is a wonderful chance to enhance teamwork." Norio nodded, taking another swig.

"We have perfect Teamwork!" Torin pouted.

"You do." Norio agreed, waving a hand at Torin. "But Aileena and Ryu, never... socialize. They never talk. Thus, they never have teamwork."

"But Ryu's socially challenged enough as it is.. It's a guy thing maybe? Maybe he's anti-female."

"That would make him Gay." Norio frowned.

The tall male twitched, "Stop talking about me as if I wasn't here you two..."

Norio shrugged, "Whatever. I'm Sensei. You're not. Go. Get. Her."

"Fine Fine."

Once the male had left, Torin turned his gaze to Norio. "What's the real reason... Sensei?"

Norio raised an eyebrow, "Whatever do you mean?"

Torin frowned, before shrugging and turning his gaze back to the clouds. "Whatever... I don't get you..."

* * *

"Kitty Kitty!" A cute feminine voice was heard, and a head poked underneath the elevation of a home. "Kitty Kitty!" She repeated, turning her head to the side. The black haired female pulled her head out, sneezing slightly.

Her long curls in the front of the young female's hair were swinging back and forth in the wind while the rest of her straight hair blew around her face and such. Aileena Marusaki stood up, brushing herself off before she began looking around once more. "Kitty Kitty!" Her voice called out once more.

It wasn't until her oh-so-silent teammate had stopped beside her that the female bothered to look up. She blinked in surprise, then smiled innocently. "Ohayo, Good morning Ryu!" The female chirped, before diving underneath the house once more.

Silent and calm, without asking what she was doing. Yes. That's how it would always be between the two, but when the cute female popped up again to sneeze, he couldn't help himself but question. So Ryu crouched down beside her, "What... are you doing?"

She didn't in seem surprised that he had talked to her, in fact, she poked her head back in oh-so-casually. "Chibi Hinamori-chan lost her kitty-cat. So I offered to get it for her! Wanna help?"

"Not... really..."

Her head shot up, but connected with the bottom of the wood. "ACK!" She fell forward, face planting in the dirt. "Nyaaa Nyaaa Nyaa!" She squirmed, trying to pull herself out.

Ryu chuckled, another action that didn't surprise the female, for some odd reason.

"Stop LAUGHING at me and just pull me out god damnit!" Ai thrashed violently now, her arms flailing.

Ryu took her wrists then, carefully positioning himself behind her. "Alright... I'm going to pull you out... are you ready?"

"JUST DO IT."

He tugged on her wrists, and she slid out, slamming right into his chest. His arms wound around her, simply to catch her.

"Nyaaa." Her eyes swirled as he helped her stay on her feet. "Arigatou Ryu-kun."

Ryu simply grunted in response, and released her onto her own feet. The female spun around, and brushed herself off to make sure she was all in check.

"Alright!" The young kunoichi moved gracefully over to the porch of the house she had been inspecting and plopped right onto it. "I feel so sorry for Hinamaro-chan. I can't find Momo-neko anywhere..."

The small meow escaped the ears of the ranting female, and Ryu's hawk-like gaze wandered to the rooftop, instantly observing the small kitten on it's roof, perched in such a manner where it could lick it's paws nonchalantly.

"Aileena-san." He spoke in an unconcerned tone. "Perhaps if you were more... aware of your surroundings.. You would notice Momo-neko on the rooftop."

"What?" She shot up into a sitting position before cocking her head up, looking upwards towards the roof.

"Meow." The cat dropped from the roof, directly on to the female's face.

"NYAAA!" She flailed, and the cat simply used her as a stepping stool to jump down onto the ground gracefully.

Aileena fell back against the porch, her head hitting the wood harshly.

"Are you okay?" Ryu was leaning over her in moments, lines of worry creased across his forehead. Without him noticing, his arms were pinned to either side of her head.

Her eyes swirled, "I'm finnneeee." She insisted, however her slurred voice showed differently.

"Moron..." Ryu shook his head, before a chuckle escaped from his lips. "You're such an idiot..."

"Ryuuuu-kuuuuunnn that's not very nice." Aileena pouted up at him, "My head hurrtts..."

"You should learn medical ninjutsu.." He then sat beside her propping her up against him, Ryu's soft hands then wandered up to her head from behind, landing then on her forehead lightly. "Just take in a small breath and you'll be better in no time." He murmured into her ear.

Aileena did as she was told, and Ryu's hands began to glow softly for a moment. "There..." He pushed her gently into a sitting position before leaning back, almost surprised at their once close proximity. "Better...?"

"Much.." She rubbed her forehead, causing the spirally locks of black hair in front to move a bit. "Thanks Ryu-kun."

"It's.. no problem really.. We're teammates."

"Teammates...?- OH GOD." She shot up onto her feet, "Training today! I forgot! Oh God Oh God oh god!" Aileena frantically ran around looking for the massive weapon she always carried with her, Aoru.

He looked to the side, spotting Aoru behind where she once sat. Another chuckle and he lifted up the weapon with ease, walking over to the female. "Ah... Ai..."

"What is it? Norio-sensei's going to kill me I'm so dea- AORU." The female wrapped her arms around him, and the weapon in unison. "Thank you thank you thank you Ryu!"

Invisible to her, and the rest of the world, his face turned red, "Ah.. Yeah... no.. problem..Let's just go already..."

There are days when... being a shinobi...brought only pain.. And suffering.

Loss, sorrow, disgrace, betrayal.

Those were the days that drove the will to be strong, the want and the passion to strive for an almighty goal.

And for some, that goal was an unattainable one.

A Utopia, where Shinobi, War, and Bloodshed did not exist.

Those were the days...

* * *

_Why?_

_Why was it turning out like this_

_What did I do... what have I done...?_

Lightning flashed, rain poured from the clouds. It was the clouds.. That got the village its name.. Wasn't it?

But the rain... yes... the rain... it was there.. As if the way for the heavens to clean. The heaven's own personal maid...

Against the blood that soiled the surface of the body, and the soil beneath it.

"Torin... No..."

_Why was it like this...?_

Aileena Marusaki's hands brushed along the cold face of the body that laid in front of her, her sobbing intensified when her hands landed on the dog tag around his neck. The one that read her name...

"_A dog tag? You actually GOT one of those?" Aileena chided the male, sticking her tongue out. "What's it gonna say? Torin the retard?"_

"_Actually..." His gaze was serious, for once, as he stared up at the clouds. "I was thinking.. Of putting your name on there... so everyone knows... that you're my Ai, my love."_

"Who did this... to you.." She hissed over his body.

"His Murderer!" She could hear the voices of the people and shinobi of the village behind her.

"She killed him!" They would call, curses and threats following.

"I have to go... I have to go Torin-kun... I don't want to... I don't..."

"Aileena.." The voice, it was her sensei's.

He crouched down behind her, his hand landing on her head. "Ai... you have to go... and find him... the one that... killed Torin it was..."

_Who did this to you? _

_Torin... who..?_

"Ryu..."

Her mind blanked, and she froze. No, it couldn't be...

They were brothers, they were close.. They were FRIENDS..

Ryu.. Would never...

"You have to go..." He helped her up then, strapping the Aoru onto her back without thought. "Run until you can't see the village anymore... I'll make sure.. You get away... safely... Aileena."

Torin.. Ryu... Norio...

She had everything she ever wanted...

And just as easily as she had gained everything, she lost it...

Aileena Marusaki, had been accused of murdering Torin Harukoshi of Konoha.

Aileena Marusaki had now becoming a Missing Nin, an S-ranked Criminal.

She was... so very alone...


	2. Fire Dance of the Little Devil

With the Heart of a Shinobi

Chapter 2: Fire dance of the little Devil: Shizuka Kurogane

Character introduction: Shizuka Kurogane © Katelynn

Other Characters Not Canon: © To me

Canon Characters: © Kishimoto

A/N: Still not in our current time frame, but this is an actual Character introduction Chapter, enjoy.

* * *

"Ring around the Rosy." A sing-song voice, laced with a childish tone was heard.

Fire completely engulfed the building, the screeching cries of the dying children.

"Little brother!" A female on the opposite side of the burning building as the Pyro, screaming for her younger brother. A bag and a headband fell to the floor. "Who did this?!"

They call her... a devil.

"Pocket full of posies..."

The Flowers near the burning building were engulfed almost instantly as well, and an insane giggling came from the female with hair as red as the fire.

The smirk was wide, and evident on her face.

Almost insane.

"Ashes Ashes."

The remains, everything left of that pathetic existence, everything she threw away. They were all burning.. Everything drawn into one inevitable end. A death met by the flames.

A Death brought surely by the devil.

"They all fall down."

Skin burned to ash, and the flames would engulf everything in that specific area, careful to not spread. It was a trained flame, yet a deadly and dangerous flame. Everyone would die, everyone would suffer for her pain.

Everyone would feel the pain she held mentally, in a physical state.

Because everyone made her suffer.

"Brother... Sister..." The same voice from before, now quiet and fearful. "No...Not... not nee too..."

It was all over for this pathetic orphanage that was once a long standing building, a torture chamber for the children within its confines. Yes. This was the hell they had brought upon themselves.

Shizuka Kurogane was the name of the devil, no, the messenger of the devil. The Pyro. The flames that brought hell into reality. She carried those flames with her, the flames of her struggle.

A cloak was pulled lightly over the shoulders of the female, the collar careful to cover the lower half of her face from the sides. Scarlet red hair, hair that almost looked of the flames themselves.

She then began to walk, at a slow enough pace for the fire to still linger in monstrosity.

As she walked, her gaze wandered to the floor, the insanity drained for the time being. "They deserve it all. Everything... Everything they've made me lose... It was too much... nothing anyone... could make up for..."

Then why did it hurt so much once she had reached the gates?

They wouldn't let her live, she knew that much. She shouldn't care, there wasn't anything left to live for anyway...

But why was she running away then? Why was her life any importance to her now? I suppose it was any casual reaction. Yes. This was her punishment for her sins, her crimes as a devil.

She would exist.

But wouldn't that be a punishment to others? Like it mattered...

Shizuka existed as a devil to the people, especially the ones that were unknowing to her existence. They WOULD know. And they WOULD cringe in fear at her name. Yes, that was her goal wasn't it?

She turned to the gates then, and stared up at the sky darkened by the fire she had set. "That's it then... Never again... The moment I leave these gates I will become a Criminal.."

The heel of her sandal then connected with the sand outside Suna, it was official.

She took off.

* * *

Shizuka Kurogane

Age 15

"Shizuka." An elder woman pushed the tray to her. "You have to eat.."

"What should it matter?" The young 15 year old rolled onto her side. "Like it should matter. They want me to rot and die here anyway..." Her voice was full of resent, her fiery hair had been purposely cut short and hand dyed black.

The elder woman brushed her hand through the dirty locks, "Shizuka... you shouldn't let what they say bother you..."

"They called me a devil..."

"You're not a devil, dear..." She frowned, the wrinkles on her face curling with the expression.

"Chiryuu-baa." Shizuka rolled over to face her. "Then why did they say my hair was long and red, like the devil's mane?" Tears filled her eyes as she spoke, her voice shaking.

"Oh my dear... your hair was long... and beautiful... the perfect shade of red. Almost like fire... yes... the fire of your will, your determination. That is what your beautiful locks symbolized.. Nothing evil... nothing cruel... just... you." Chiryuu's hand brushed through the short and poorly dyed black hair. "My dear.. You didn't have to take it this far..."

Shizuka then sobbed, wrapping her arms around the elder woman. "Chiru-baa... I want it back.. I want my hair back..."

"Such a simple thing... It will grow back. And the dye will grow out. It just takes time, and patience. You have to live out your mistakes, and live through for the future."

"Live out mistakes... and live through for the future..." She repeated. "Alright... I will.. And I promise you.. I'll be stronger then all this... you won't have to see my cry again for something so stupid. Chiryuu-baa."

Her wrinkled, and old, delicate arms wrapped around Shizuka's young frame, brushing her hand through her hair in a calming manner.

"Do not worry.. Nothing... is too stupid to cry over."

* * *

Shizuka Kurogane

Age 17

"Chiryuu-baa! Chiryuu-baa! My hair it's red again it's red again!" Shizuka skipped happily around the orphanage, for once ignoring the glares of the children around her. She stopped in front of a group of children that had collected. "Where's Chiryuu-baa?" She questioned, her voice full of unwavering happiness.

One of the males frowned, opening his mouth with a ready remark for the 'devil child.'

Instead, a girl beside him spoke. Her hair was pulled into two pigtails that ran from the sides of her head down the front of her body. Her black locks were intertwined with baby blue ones, a beautiful design Shizuka added to her mental thoughts.

"Chiryuu's dead." She said, her calm voice seemingly uncaring.

Shizuka's eyes widened, and she took a step back. "No way... there couldn't possibly be a way.. She seemed fine... she seemed fine the last time I saw her.." Her shaking hands clenched into fists, as she fought back the tears.

She wouldn't cry again. Not like this.

The girl responded again. "Chiryuu-baa-san was old, and just a helper here. With all the work she did, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner."

"No!" Shizuka shook her head violently, her long amber locks swishing back and forth. "You're lying! You're all lying to me!"

Something deep within her flared, and the temperature of the room increased rapidly.

"Stop it." The girl frowned. "You're letting your chakra loose like you have no control over it whatsoever."

"My... chakra..."

They had always said, she was a natural born user of the Fire style Ninjutsu, but she never imagined what they had meant. All the times she had spent by herself, training her body and mind so she could protect herself from the bullies that taunted her. All this had built up a chakra supply, and the instincts of a shinobi?

Yes. She was a natural born devil. A Natural born fighter.

But even with all this power, she couldn't stop a simple death from happening. No, the death wasn't that simple. It was God's work. God would be the one who decided those that lived and those that didn't. That's what she was always taught after all.

But what kind of God would leave her alone like this?

Maybe she really was the enemy of God, a Devil. A Harbinger of evil.

The temperature lowered to normal, and she took a step back.

But it wasn't enough to have the power, then to learn how to control it. She heard the shinobi of her village talking about it.

Chakra control, that's what they called it. If Shizuka could learn to control her chakra then...

Then maybe she could be powerful enough to protect not only herself, but everything she wanted.

"Shizuka..." One of the attendants, an ADULT came up at that point. "There's something we must discuss with you, regarding Chiryuu-baa's will."

The girl with the pretty hair frowned, and twirled one braid in her hand casually, while the other children with her ignored Shizuka's presence once more.

Shizuka followed the man, remaining silent as she did.

Inside the room that Chiryuu-baa once resided in was several other adults, the owners of the orphanage. The ones that brought Shizuka the hell she lived in.

One frowned, while the other tapped their fingers on the dresser.

"Shizuka Kurogane. We've come to a conclusion about what we're going to do with the whole situation Chiryuu's death has brought upon us." The first, a middle aged female spoke, turning her gaze to Shizuka.

"Yes." The male beside her nodded his head. "Chiryuu was in charge of taking care of you. She was the only one that would. But now that she's dead.. I'm afraid we must resort to our original planning. Your being here is too much of a danger to the other children. So we've decided.. To keep you in solitary.. For your last year with us."

Solitary.

She would be alone again.

That was her punishment. Because devils were always alone.

Shizuka found the words they told her, were blanking in and out of her head as she stood there dizzily, still trying to cope with the loss of the one person that meant the world to her.

When they dismissed her to her new room, her solitary room. The one she would never leave, Shizuka stumbled dizzily down the hallway.

The door was opened for her, and once she was in, shut just as quickly behind her.

She collapsed against the bed, her legs pulled to her chest.

* * *

Her will.

Two objects left by her father.

One silver ring, big enough to be a crown. A Diamond shaped ruby hanging from it.

Another silver ring, yet this time of massive proportions. A Shinobi tool, a weapon.

She was ready.

And after a year of training, in solitary, alone, as a devil.

She was ready.

Her chakra was collected, and the fire began.

* * *

"Geez... where the hell AM I?"

The exhausted female struggled to keep her eyes open as she sulked down another path leading to GOD knows where. The forest was empty, at least, she was pretty sure of that. Her stomach growled in protest at her ongoing attempt to find SOME sort of civilization or source of food, which kept making her remember how miserably she was failing.

Shizuka stopped in a clearing, her hands moving to her hips in a proud stance. Yes, she would find food, and shelter, if it was the last thing she did! And it might as well be, especially at this rate. "Great. I'm going to starve to death in some stupid FOREST!" Crimson orbs searched around, hoping, praying, there would be SOMETHING edible nearby.

She stopped rocking on her heels and froze, her hand wandering to the massive silver ring on her back, Hien.

"You're quite loud, even if you're trying to stay quiet, H'm."

"Who's there?" It was an idiotic question to ask, and as a shinobi, she instantly wished she hadn't. Two birds were flying by her, no, they weren't normal birds. They were made of clay. But clay birds? It was a Ninjutsu of some sort, so she quickly shot her body to the side.

The clay birds exploded where she once was, and Shizuka was instantly thanking her shinobi instincts.

Whoever had spoken before was obviously no novice. And very skilled at that. She readied herself for a fight, hand gripping tighter on the massive ring.

The eerie ringing of bells was heard in her ears, and the female shivered.

The moment her eyes closed, two figures appeared in the clearing she was once in. She took a step back cautiously.

"Shizuka Kurogane." A dark, raspy voice came from a hunched over figure beside a taller one, both with faces covered by straw hats. "That's who you are. Isn't it?"

When she didn't respond, the tall male responded, "We're here to take you with us, h'm."

She leaned back slightly. "Take me where..."

"To the Akatsuki. A Place where an S-ranked criminal like you will feel right at home."

Home.

A Place to belong.

A reason to exist, even for a devil.

The Akatsuki... huh?


	3. Tears felt through the Wind

With the Heart of a Shinobi

Chapter Three: Tears felt through the Wind: Aileena Marusaki

Character Introduction: Aileena Marusaki © Me

Other Characters: © Me

Canon Characters: © Kishimoto

Chapter Note: Finally the official introduction of Aileena. On Another Note, Konan doesn't exist in this fic. Sorry. But we control what we want. Don't get me wrong, we love Konan, she's a kick ass Kunoichi. She's just not going to be in here. xD

* * *

The Akatsuki. A Criminal organization filled with dangerous S-ranked criminals bent to work for one similar goal. Power. Domination. **Everything. **Whether it be for selfish reasons, or other purposes, the Akatsuki work as a somehow functional team to accomplish that goal.

Shizuka Kurogane was the newest to enter the ranks as their first female member.

But it had come to terms that she would soon need a partner. Akatsuki did not work alone. Another criminal would be required for the organization. Another aid in their common lust for power far greater then what they have.

And it was in a certain female they found this trait, or so they wished.

Five cloaks billowed in the wind, five bells rang eerily in the small village that five s-ranked shinobi entered. People gave them no second glace. Not one would be needed to know that these five were not to be messed with.

"Any sign of her?" A large shark-like man questioned.

"How hard could it be to find her according to the description, h'm?" The man they dubbed as Deidara, stated. "Blue hair. Massive Uchiwa on her back. Can't be TOO hard to spot, yeah."

"If it's not that hard, complain why we haven't found her yet," Akasuna no Sasori was the next to speak, "She's good at concealing her chakra at least."

"She better be good enough to do that." The 'Shark-man' Kisame Hoshigaki gave a throaty laugh.

One of the two 'silent' figures stepped forward excitedly. Shizuka grinned as she looked around, "She's here. I'm sure of it."

"What makes you so sure?" the head of the Hiroku, Sasori's puppet turned to her. "The information seems pretty far-fetched. They call her the wind goddess. Killed two important people in one night, and several ANBU during her escape. Sounds more like a crazy rumor to me."

"There's a bedtime story to frighten the kids, yeah." Deidara snorted.

"Then how do you explain the deaths?" She challenged. "Two dead bodies don't just pop up out of nowhere do they?"

"Rogue ninja."

"Rogue Ninja can't take out the student and wife of one of the strongest men in Kumo." Shizuka freely added, "Face it. She's real."

"Then it's this goddess of the wind we search for." The last silent figure finally spoke, the voice of Uchiha Itachi was heard when he did. "Whether the story be a hyperbole or not, she's struck an interest to leader-sama. So we bring her back."

"What was her name?" Sasori continued on, "This S-ranked criminal of Kumo..?"

"Aileena Marusaki!" Shizuka said in a chipper tone. "My new partner."

* * *

She certainly wasn't old enough to be in a place like this. The tender behind the coutner was the first to say something.

"Are you old enou-" He began.

"Water." The female lowered the hood of her cloak, and leaned against the table with her bare knees. "Just water please."

The bartender gave her a scrutinizing look until she dropped more then a decent amount of ryo on the table. His eyes brightened. "Right away ma'am!" The bartender shot to find the rusted, dusty, and unused in several ages, water tap.

Her nose scrunched up at the smell of alcohol. She hated it. The smell, the taste. Everything about the atrocious drink she loathed.

Yet why was an underage alcohol hating female sitting in a BAR of all places? Simple. It was in these places they would never look for her. Or at least, the last place they would look.

But then the question would arise to who this female was, and exactly who were the people she was avoiding?

Sporting bleach blonde hair, perfect curves, dazzling blue eyes, she was catching plenty of eyeing from the men in the bar. But the reason the female was... exhorting this kind of look would benefit to that. Information, that's what she needed. And that's what she would get. And also, it was a more simple henge to preform.

And the people after her? ANBU. Kumo ANBU.

In case you hadn't already figured it out. The female was in fact the target of the S-ranked rogue nin in the very village the bar resided in.

Aileena Marusaki.

Once the bartended handed her a glass of water, he gave her a small glance before moving down the line of stools to tend to other people. She kept her gaze lowered to her glass as she thought, and planned.

"Why hello there."

Aileena ignored the sudden presence of someone sitting beside her, and took a sip of the cool liquid.

"Plain water?" The male's voice seemed to be lace with amusement. "Come on, how about I treat you to something stronger? A lot stronger."

"Underage." She said quietly, taking another sip.

"So? I know the bartender. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." His hand then brushed along her knee.

"_Look_. I'm not interested. So back OFF." She turned to him, only to pause. Her body grew tense, and a finger twitched.

The man wore a sleeveless shirt to show off his well-toned arms. Obviously a shinobi. But it was his shoulder that caught her attention, and her fear.

A tattoo. Not just ANY tattoo.

It was a mark, a branding symbol.

The mark of an ANBU.

An ANBU, who's hand gave her a fuzzy feeling on her leg.

Paralysis jutsu. She couldn't run, not unless he was out cold to break the jutsu. Okay. She could manage that easy. But it couldn't look suspicious. No. She couldn't NOT blow her cover. Her mind swam, she had to work fast.

Suddenly, and with a powerful inhuman force, she slammed her fist into him, sending him flying...

Through the wall..

Oops.

"PERVERT!" She cried out at the top of her lungs, following out the broken wall, trying to make it seem like it was mostly his fault.

"Found her!" A Childish voice cried out from off to the side.

* * *

"What do you MEAN found her?" Kisame huffed at Shizuka, as they stood, feet away from the unconscious man, the fuming blonde, and the broken wall. "She looks nothing like the description!"

Deidara whistled, "I don't mind, h'm. I like THAT Aileena Marusaki."

Shizuka rolled her eyes, "Of course you do. But I'm sure its her. Maybe the description was bogus, but that's her."

"Shizuka has a point." Sasori looked at the unconscious male. "Look at his arm... She knocked out an ANBU."

"Soooo... who wants to talk to her first?" Kisame eyed his companions.

Shizuka and Sasori took a step back at the same time.

Deidara raised his hand, "I call gorgeous, un."

"I bet you do..." Shizuka huffed.

* * *

Great. So now someone from the weird group was approaching her.

She noticed their cloaks first thing, then the straw hats their wore on their heads. None the less, it made them kind of look like a wandering Samurai troupe. Save only one had a sword, and it was wrapped up like a mummy. Was that even a sword?

Aileena paused, careful not to flicker her henge as the first one from the group approached her.

Once he lowered his hat to bow his head slightly, she snapped. "Look. I don't have time to deal with whatever you want." Owch, harsh. Deep down, she hated doing it, but she had to get out of here before more ANBU showed up. His expression hardened slightly at her response, but he didn't flinch or turn away.

"Listen. Miss... Are you.. Aileena.. Marusaki, yeah?"

She froze, carefully measuring her reaction to a minimum. "The rogue ninja from Kumo everyone's looking for? No. Haven't you heard the description? I don't even look anything like her."

He frowned for a moment, "Yeah you're right. I didn't mean to bother you. Sorry miss." He brought his hat back onto his head and turned to his group once more.

"It's no problem.." she said in reply, though a bit quieter then normal. Aileena turned the opposite way and began to walk off.

* * *

"Not her." Deidara said as he returned. "Let's move on, she could still be here, yeah."

"Really? Man I was sooooo sure!" Shizuka whined.

Sasori nodded his head to her, "It's alright.. Maybe you're just overexcited."

"Deidara." The Uchiha then spoke, gaining the attention of the people with him. "How is it... you know for sure?"

"She said so herself, h'm. Besides its kind of bogus that she could look so different from the description, yeah."

"Hn." The Uchiha disappeared then.

"What crawled up and died in his ass..?" Deidara rolled his visible eye.

* * *

"They're here." Aileena paused, looking around the now abandoned street. "They had civilians to stay inside to make it easier..."

She took another step, and they made themselves known.

"Aileena Marusaki. By the order of the Raikage we are-"

Why did they stop?

It was then a gurgled cry was heard, followed by several screams and wails. She was froze, unsure of what to do.

They were all dead in a split second, and their murderer appeared in front of her. She backed up, against a building.

He loomed over her, eyes blazing with red pinwheels. Sharingan. She had heard of it before.

"The henge. Release it." His voice was sharp, commanding.

"What henge? I don't know what you're talking about..." He was with the blonde guy that approached her earlier. Had he heard the ANBU calling her name?

But what WERE they? Bounty hunters?

He broke her concentration by leaning forward, his breath fanning her face. "You are Aileena marusaki. That Genjutsu doesn't fool me. I can see through it."

He can... the Sharingan... of course.

The henge was released, and Aileena Marusaki stood in its place. Lacking all the "perfect' Form of her henge, blonde locks were replaced with the same hair from her childhood, save it was longer and blue instead of black. Blue eyes then darkened to jet black orbs.

She fumbled with her thoughts, he was too close for comfort. "So you caught me... what now..? Turn me in for money...?"

"You're more valuable elsewhere..." His even breathing did not falter, and he did not move away.

"Elsewhere...?"

"Your skills are wanted by the leader... of the organization I belong in... The Akatsuki. Have you heard of it?"

"Akatsuki... uhm.. No.. Should I have...?"

"Akatsuki is an organization of S-ranked criminals that all are hunting for a similar goal. So we work together."He leaned forward a bit more.

"Not. Interested." Aileena shook her head, raising her hand to his chest to push him off of her. "I don't' work well with other people, GROUPS none the less."

His hand took her wrist, stopping her. "You don't have a choice."

She frowned, "Of course I do. You don't' control me.."

"I can kill you."

"You can try."

Itachi's gaze narrowed, he was obviously growing impatient. "You can't beat me...you'd get hurt if you tried.."

"You underestimate me."

"I can see the look in your eyes." His head then lowered, where his lips were hovering over her ear. "You're afraid. You can't kill anybody... not even someone who was threatening to kill you."

"How did you-" Her eyes widened, and her expression filled with panic. He could see right through her, he could see every lie and every truth.

Those Sharingan eyes... could see more then he was letting on.

"I can see everything..." He whispered into her ear.

"No-"

"You can be powerful... you can have everything you want. If you join."

Join... The Akatsuki...

They kill people.. She couldn't... she CAN'T...

_Torin... what do I do?_

No.

"I refuse." This was her reply, it was final. Her decision. She couldn't turn back now.

But he wasn't going to let her move forward.

The pinwheel swirled, and she was pulled in before she could turn away.

Aileena fell limp against him.


End file.
